Big Pete is a Peterbilt bodied monster truck that’s considered to be one of the largest working monster truck and also the only one to feature a HGV cab body. Big Pete Peterbilt monster truck is powered by a big-block 7.5-litre Chevrolet V8 engine that develops 500 bhp and is coupled with a TH-400 three-speed automatic gearbox and a military transfer case offering 2/4wd and high/low ranges. Big Pete Peterbilt monster truck features a genuine articulated lorry cab body and features Pettibone crane axles which are each certified to 40 tonnes. Big Pete sits on 5ft-tall, 4ft-wide tires and has managed to crush over 7,000 cars in its 25-year lifetime.

Michael Murty, Big Pete’s owner, said: “We attend all sorts of events and exhibitions and we have to start every show with the vehicle in tip-top sparkling condition – from the massive tyres to the tall chrome chimneys, and the vast areas of bright red bodywork in between. We frequently have a variety of different car care products offered to us, but we’ve always used Autoglym. We sometimes take a little longer than it took these experts, but we’re always pleased to be able to achieve a brilliant shine to impress the crowds before we go car crushing.”

By ZerCustoms

As part of this year’s celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows, the German automaker has brought together three generations of trucks that have been used to transfer the firm’s racing cars over the years. These include the 1934 Lo 2750, an awesome replica of the once fastest racing car transporter in the world, the so-called ‘Blue Wonder’ from 1955 that was powered by the original Gullwing’s direct-injection engine, and a modern day Actros Truck.

Needless to say, the one that stands out like a shining star is the official replica of the ‘Blue Wonder’. Built at the request of racing manager Alfred Neubauer in the mid 1950s, this one-of-a-kind transporter served Mercedes-Benz for more than a decade. The 6.75-metre-long and two-meters-wide hauler used a lengthened tubular frame from the Mercedes-Benz 300 S luxury coupe of the era.

Power was provided by a three-liter inline-six with direct-injection that came straight from the legendary 300 SL Gullwing sports car of 1955, while various body components such as the doors, wings and some of the interior appointments were sourced from the Mercedes-Benz 180 standard saloon. It was then billed as the ‘fastest racing car transporter in the world’.

After Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor sports at the end of 1955, the ‘Blue Wonder’ initially served as an exhibition vehicle in the USA, followed by ten years of service for Mercedes-Benz test drives. Unfortunately, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, who managed the motor sports department during the racing car carriers’ "active" period, had the one-off model scrapped in 1967. However, decades later, Mercedes-Benz rebuilt this stunning racing car hauler based on archive photographs.

By CarScoop